No run-of-the-mill jack-o-lanterns in 'Pumpkinlandia'

Friday

Oct 11, 2013 at 11:36 PMOct 12, 2013 at 12:11 AM

By Elaine Thompson, TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

THOMPSON — Halloween takes on a different twist at the historic Fort Hill Farms this weekend as pumpkins turn into fairies, gnomes, Humpty Dumpty, the Three Little Pigs and other fairy tales and nursery rhyme characters.

Todd M. Desautels and Angela L. Faneuf, both artists from Oxford, have turned part of the 1,000-acre, 300-year-old farm once owned by Sir Robert Thompson, for whom the town is named, into an imaginative world called "Tales in Pumpkinlandia."

Mr. Desautels said visitors will be taken on a magical journey as they meander along a winding path illuminated by 1,000 elaborately carved jack-o-lanterns under a stand of tall blue spruce evergreen trees as mystical music plays.

"It really comes alive when all the candles are lit. Even a couple of days later when the pumpkins start getting a little decrepit, they create their own characters," Mr. Desautels said, as he, Ms. Faneuf and two other artists put the finishing touches on a table of pumpkins Thursday. About 15 artists from throughout New England, and mostly from Worcester County, carved and painted the jack-o-lanterns.

Mr. Desautels, 37, and Ms. Faneuf, 35, friends since grammar school, have been carving special jack-o-lanterns since 1988, when neighbor John Reckner hosted the first Pumpkin Spectacular at the Woodward School in Oxford. That extravaganza has evolved into a month-long jack-o-lantern display at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence.

In 2006, Mr. Desautels and Ms. Faneuf began 11th Hour Productions, which displayed 4,000 elaborate jack-o-lanterns at Lookout Farm in Natick. Since 2007, they have done a live pumpkin carving demonstration each year at the Big E, also known as the Eastern States Exposition, in West Springfield.

They became 11th Hour Farming Artists two years ago, after they bartered with Peter and Kristin Orr, the owners of Fort Hill Farms, to grow organic pumpkins and other vegetables on 4 acres in exchange for an annual jack-o-lantern show. The vegetables — which include heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, Japanese eggplants, sweet corn and peppers — are sold to restaurants in Worcester and Cambridge.

Ms. Faneuf said they continue to evolve and in coming months plan to adopt a co-op business structure with their sustainable farming and seasonal art festivals that will include music and entertainment as well as art.

"It's so hard these days to find healthy, organic food, but it's very difficult being a farmer. You have to think outside of the box," she said. "To bring together the art and agriculture is where we're coming from. Connecting people to the land where the food and pumpkins come from inspire people to be creative."

It's been 25 years since their lives began to change because of pumpkins, but their passion for what they do and the happiness it brings to others has not dimmed.

"We've been doing this our whole lives, but still on opening night and the show is up and running, we still get goose bumps," said Mr. Desautels. "It doesn't matter how many times you experience it. Every year, you're like, 'Whoa! This is good.'"

"Tales in Pumpkinlandia" began Thursday and will run through Monday, beginning at 5:30 each night. The farm is open each day at 9 a.m. for daytime activities. The price to experience Pumpkinlandia also includes entrance to the 5-acre corn maze and the Mini Moo labyrinth. A flashlight is needed for the latter two.

Information about Pumkinlandia, including the price of admission, is available at http://forthillfarms.com/pumpkinlandia/.